This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There has been some speculation among the speculating class that the mantle of president would chasten Donald Trump and he would, as his inauguration approaches, behave in a manner befitting the gravity of the office.

Utah's own Sen. Orrin Hatch, a leading Trump apologist, has been saying for weeks that he has seen a more tempered Trump.

But his performance at his news conference Wednesday shows those perhaps hopeful predictions were unfounded, as he behaved less like the president-elect and more like an orangutan (literally translated: orange human) flinging poo around his cage.

The assessment has nothing to do with the latest Russia scandal involving claims of a supposed compromising Trump dossier or which reporters he did or did not take questions from. There were bigger issues than that addressed. Simply look at what he did promise between the verbal attacks:

• The point of the news conference was to announce his grand solution to address the blatant conflicts of interest he has with his various business holdings. And the answer: Let his kids run it and then fire them if they don't do a good job. Mind you, he doesn't have to do that and he could easily run his businesses and be president, because being president is now a part-time job done from wherever you can access your Twitter account. Watchdog groups are dismissing the "blind trust" as being thinner than his imaginary border wall.

• Speaking of which, he said he would slap Mexico with a big tax to cover the estimated $40 billion cost of the Great Wall of Trump, a move almost certain to spark a trade war with the United States' largest trading partner. Until then, he acknowledges it will be U.S. taxpayers footing the bill.

• He said the Democratic National Committee was "totally open to being hacked. They did a very poor job." That's likely the case, but also a blame-the-victim mentality that lets Russia off the hook for its own egregious actions. And he again pivoted back to Hillary Clinton getting questions before the Democratic primary debate — a signal that he is too myopic to grasp the significance of the Russian hacking and is still locked in a bitter campaign he has already won.

• Trump said it's a good thing if Vladimir Putin wants to be his pal and blamed the Obama administration for international terrorism, again alleging it "created ISIS by leaving at the wrong time." At a time there have been calls in Congress for a tougher stance against Russia — Sen. Marco Rubio, that left-winger, called Putin a "war criminal" during Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson's confirmation hearing — Trump wants to hold the dictator's bloody hand.

• When asked about a plan by Sen. Lindsey Graham to impose tougher sanctions on Russia because of the hacking, Trump lashed out in his characteristic campaign mode, slamming the senator for a losing presidential bid. Graham's campaign aside, he is one of the most respected senators on either side of the aisle when it comes to foreign policy. But Trump went on the attack and dodged a valid question completely.

• Trump has consistently undercut the U.S. intelligence agencies, comparing their activities earlier in the day to Nazi Germany. He said that within 90 days of taking office he'll have HIS intelligence officials come back with a report on the Russian hacking, further undermining the consensus assessment of the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency. Do you think Trump's intelligence appointees will come to a different conclusion?

• Ever the good sport, Trump couldn't help but take another dig at Clinton, suggesting that Russia never took her seriously. The Russians did, however, take her seriously enough to hack the DNC emails and try to undermine her campaign. But that's according to the U.S. intelligence community, and who would believe it?

So there's what we have to look forward to — trade wars with our neighbors, chumminess with murderers and engaging in petty political vendettas at every opportunity. Looks like it'll be a yuge roller coaster ride.